


The Martyrs of Vox Machina

by inadistantworld



Series: Rare Pair Week [5]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Death Wish, F/M, How Do I Tag, Opposites Attract
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 02:08:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inadistantworld/pseuds/inadistantworld
Summary: It's well known that Vax will put himself in danger for no other reason than the belief that he could help protect one person from a minor injury. It's less well known that Pike will do much much more for less. She may not be as broody as Vax but she is no less reckless.





	The Martyrs of Vox Machina

**Author's Note:**

> Technically written for Angst day but I've never written an entire fic for angst so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right? Honestly I don't think I've done much angst outside of my original work? So I'm not gonna tag it as angst 'cause I think this one missed the mark. Maybe my other one is closer.  
> Anyways, I love Pike Trickfoot but I also worry a lot about her someone wrap her in bubblewrap.

The first word that came to mind with the name Pike Trickfoot was not _reckless_. Most of the time it was savior, hero, healer, love, and sometimes just awwww.

The first word that followed the name Vax’ildan was not usually champion. The word champion was too clean to describe Vax, it was a word that followed the bright light of Pike. Words that fit Vax more were sadness, death, impulsive, and often times Jenga. It was no secret that the boy had a death wish. And everyone had a lot to say about that, begging him to take it slow, to be careful, to not get himself killed. It was strange that Pike had so little to say in that department, if she said much at all it was a light warning of her worry for him, but with it came a knowing look.

 _I would have done it._ That’s what the look was. Acknowledgment that while Vax was known for jumping in head first he was not the only one who planned on one day claiming the title of martyr.

Pike Trickfoot was reckless. While it wasn’t the word that people thought of it was the word that described her very well. She threw herself into a sea of undead with the barest idea of a plan and no idea how far she’d make it or if it would work at all. She threatened gods. But more than anything, the most dangerous thing she ever did, was care.

Vax was willing to die to save people, to be a hero. Pike was willing to die because she didn’t want to lose anyone. These two things, by definition they are the same, to save and to keep from losing, the manifested very differently. And in a way the core reason behind them were opposites. Vax selflessly wanted to save everyone while Pike selfishly refused to lose anyone.

Vax was a man stuck in a rainstorm. He had sad eyes, his soul perpetually heavy, and eager put himself in the line of fire, often times the only thing keeping him alive was his sister. But Pike was the light. Pike was the sun itself. One couldn’t look at Pike without being overwhelmed with the feeling of all the love she possessed washing over them and feeling all the love for her in return.

And while Vax leapt into dangerous situations, only sometimes uttering the word Jenga as he did so, Pike was quiet with her risks. And it made it so much harder to see how easy it was to lose her.

 

She could feel the warm, sticky flow of blood under her armor. She’s not sure if it’s from the arrow that had pierced deep in her shoulder and still stuck out from the plate armor or the more recent slice from the lance that pierced her side. The back of her head throbbed from where she was slammed into the wall and she’s sure if she touched it her hand would be slick with blood. She winced with every step, every breath came with a sharp pain. “Who needs healing?” Her voice was loud, carrying over the sounds of battle to her friends.

They sound off, “I’m alright!” “I could use some!” “Percy is looking really rough!” “I am, some healing would be lovely right now!” “I wouldn’t say no!” “I’m good, I’ve got a potion!” And she heals who she needs to. She’s not included in the count. She never is. Because she can’t be. Who knows how hard the next hit will be or who will be the next target? And nobody dies on her watch, not while she has anything to say about it.

Of course they ask how she’s doing, because they do care and they’ve seen the damage she’s taken, it was hard to miss. The question still catches her off guard though and automatically makes the cleric’s mind take a mental check of her injuries, her breath catching as the question draws attention to the two broken ribs. She briefly wonders how she’s still standing and reminds herself she has no other choice.

“I’m fine!” She grins, renewed light reaching her eyes, and she slaps Vax on the ass and heals him, “Go get ‘em!” She says as she sends him back in. And then she readies herself to attack.

If she isn’t healing an ally she’s on offense. Why waste a spell on herself when she can help her team? Either through healing them or killing this asshole. She isn’t that important, not on her own, not as important as they are. But they’re still relying on her, they still need her to pull her weight. And dammit she’s going to do everything she can.

 

Vax has always seen it. And with how often Pike runs out to battle naked he’s seen the scars too. So has everyone else but they’ve all got scars, you don’t live this life without them. But Vax sees a difference in them. How many of them are naturally healed, dark red and pink instead of the pale white of quick magic applied to them. Jagged and raised and how not right they look against someone like Pike. How many of them litter her small body.

He brings it up to her the next time they’re alone after she kills Hotis.

“We need you here, Pickle,” he says softly.

She laughs and elbows him lightly, “Don’t I know it.”

Vax doesn’t smile though and Pike’s smile fades into something much more tired and knowing, “Take care of yourself, Pike. Don’t do anything that puts you into danger like that. If we lost you it would break us.”

She almost smiles again, “I believe you are our resident martyr, Vax. I’m not sure you should be the one telling me to be careful, I think it goes the other way around.”

“It takes one to know one,” he says solemnly and it stops Pike cold. A martyr? She’s never thought of herself like that and the word doesn’t sit right in her mind. They don’t talk about it again for a long time. Not until Vax becomes the Champion of the Raven Queen.

 

He had always understood that what Pike dealt with wasn’t easy, and he had always seen her as someone who he could go to for advice. But it wasn’t until he became a champion and understood what it was like to carry the weight of a god’s will on his shoulders that he really got it. He found himself turning to her more than ever in times of crisis.

“How do you know what she wants?” Vax’s voice is lost, it usually is after he tries to get answers from the Raven Queen. They were sitting beneath a tree together, holding hands. Pike was leaning against him, enjoying the sun and listening to Vax’s heartbeat. It was reassuring to hear after all of the times he’d nearly died, especially now that he followed the Raven Queen and seemed to welcome death.

“I don’t. It’s not my job to know, I just do what I believe is right. Sarenrae will guide me if I stray from my path, as she has before.”

“You? Stray from the path?” Vax chuckles and she listens to it rumble through his chest.

“I’m not perfect, I do the wrong thing sometimes. But Sarenrae always shows me the way back. You don’t need to know what the Raven Queen wants from you exactly, she chose you because she already believed in you. She chose you before you vowed to be her champion, so you’re obviously doing something right.” She looks up at her dark and brooding lover, “Do what you know is right. If she’s worthy of you then that is what she wants, if she disagrees then she doesn’t deserve you.” She puts her head against his chest again and vows to visit the shrine in Whitestone to give the Raven Queen another warning.

“You always know what to say, Pickle.” He kisses the top of her head and for a moment he does feel better.

 

Vax was ash. Nothing left of him but armor in Scanlan’s hands and some dust in his pocket.

And Pike was nothing but fury. Vecna would die for this. For taking her Stringbean. For taking her lover.

Even after the Raven Queen sends him back to her she dreams of how they will ruin Vecna. She half expects to find her holy symbol cracked again, deviating from the righteous path. Instead when she touched the symbol it felt warmer than usual, almost hot but not uncomfortably so. A sign that while she may not be feeling exactly kind and righteous she was doing the right thing by planning on destroying such a horrendous thing. Sarenrae approved, at least of the end result.

They call her, jokingly of course, the mom friend. In some ways it makes sense, it is the mom who takes care of the children, bandages them up, encourages them to take the high road (which she does most of the time), and most of all sets an example. Which Pike certainly does. But she isn’t the mom friend. She isn’t even the perfect religious and pious friend. She is a part of Vox Machina and it shows.

She drinks, she curses, she kills, she hits up brothels, she acts impulsively, and she has certainly done things she isn’t proud of. She is one of the members of Vox Machina, formally the SHITs, and it shows. And just like the rest of Vox Machina, she saves. And she puts everyone else before her. And she does what it takes.

And she is not afraid of the knowledge that one day what it takes will be her life.


End file.
